President Mussington addresses Air Antilles flight suspension

MARIGOT--President of the French Collectivité of St. Martin Louis Mussington on Tuesday addressed the public following the suspension of flights by Air Antilles, the regional airline in which the Collectivité of St. Martin is the majority shareholder. The President convened a press briefing to update Saint-Martin residents and airline customers on the situation and the steps being taken.

The suspension of Air Antilles’ Air Carrier Certificate (CTA) was decided by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) last Friday. President Mussington was officially informed of the decision by Matignon on Sunday. The suspension of the CTA effectively withdraws the airline’s operating license, grounding its aircraft and prohibiting the sale of tickets for an indefinite period.

President Mussington clarified that the issues raised by the DGAC relate primarily to administrative and regulatory aspects, not to the safety of the aircraft themselves.

“The malfunctions identified by the DGAC concern primarily administrative and regulatory aspects. A corrective action plan has been elaborated and has already been presented to the DGAC,” the President stated.

He has requested that the verification process of this corrective plan be carried out within a reasonable period so that Air Antilles can resume its operations as soon as possible and passengers can continue their travel plans with minimal disruption.

The President also recalled that an internal audit of Air Antilles’ operations was conducted in early December. That diagnostic exercise identified several malfunctions within the company. A detailed presentation of the findings of this audit will be shared with the public in the near future.

While expressing hope for a swift resumption of operations and noting that new potential investors have recently shown interest in the airline, President Mussington also condemned what he described as the “unworthy behavior” of certain opposition figures, whom he accused of trying to destabilize his mandate in the lead-up to the territorial elections scheduled for March 2027.

President Mussington reaffirmed his commitment to transparency and to safeguarding the interests of both the traveling public and the community of Saint-Martin as majority shareholder, while working toward a rapid and sustainable solution for Air Antilles.

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